Teachers

Adriana Salomão

ADRIANA SALOMÃO was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has a solid
professional experience in tap, jazz and contemporary dance. A graduate in Physical
Education from the Gama Filho University, she has worked as a dancer and choreographer
in numerous television programs, TV commercials, feature film, shows and musical theater
plays. She was a member of the Nós da Dança Company and also at Steven Harper
Company, performing in Europe and USA.

She taught regular jazz and tap classes at the Nós da Dança School, at the CEFTEM and at
the M&B Musical Theater Workshops. She is regularly featured in the main dance festivals
of Brazil as a teacher, artist and/or member of the jury and was part of the Executive
Committee of the Dancers Union of Rio de Janeiro. Adriana also participated extensively in
Rio de Janeiro´s famous carnival parade, working with the creative team of the samba
schools in Rio and São Paulo. Since 2017, she divides her time between Brazil and France.

Amália Machado

Brittany DeStefano

BRITTANY DeSTEFANO is a multi-form dancer from upstate New York. She studied under the mentorship of Nicole Aravena and Derick K. Grant, and later became an alumni of The School at Jacob's Pillow for their tap programs of 2012 and 2014. Currently, Brittany is working with New York City based companies, Dorrance Dance and Leonardo Sandoval and Gregory Richardson's Music From The Sole. Brittany has had the privilege of performing at The Joyce Theater, New York City Center, New Victory Theater, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Inside/Out Stage and the Doris Duke Theater at Jacob's Pillow.

Bruna Miragaia

BRUNA MIRAGAIA is specialized in American tap dancing and children's tap dancing through the “Cartilha do Tap” methodology. She began her studies in 1987, in Ballet, Tap and Jazz at the Cristina Cará Academy and updated them at the "Broadway Dance Center", "Steps On Broadway" and at the Jazz City Tap in NY. In 2013 she founded the COM PASSO Cia de Dança, of which she is general and artistic director, choreographer and teacher. As dancer, she participated in the Youth America Grand Prix. As choreographer, in the TV program "Se Ela Dança Eu Danço", and in the event Janas & Friends. She also choreographed for the UAI Q DANÇA in 2018, for the new OBS Show, and for KS - Cia Kika Sampaio. She currently works as a tap coach in the Experimental Dance of Ubatuba and received awards in dance competitions in Brazil (revelation, best choreographer, best stage concept and best tap dance group). Bruna also received the Kika Sampaio Trophy.

Carlos Fontinelle

CARLOS FONTINELLE is an International Dance Council Member (CID-Unesco). He is the director and choreographer of Vivá Cia de Dança since 2012. Through his company Fontinelle Criações Artística, he works with production and/or artistic direction in several theatre and musical theatre, cinema and television.
He was part of the choreographers team for the 2014 Soccer World Cup closing ceremony in Brazil as well as the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, together with Deborah Colker, Fernando Meireles, Daniela Thomas and Andrucha Waddington. Carlos has been a dancer at Rede Globo since 2001 and a choreographer since 2014. He worked, among others, for programm "Artista Completão" (2017) and "Show dos Famosos", Domingão do Faustão.
Fontinelle studied Physical Education and has a background in classical ballet, with specializations in jazz, musical theater and contemporary dance. He has performed in the follwing dance companies : Deborah Colker, Caio Nunes Cia de dança, Cia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro and Cia de Ballet Contemporâneo de Caracas. He also collaborated with TV or cinema directors or choreographers Jorge Fernando, Cininha de Paula, Nadia Lartigue, Regina Sauer, Silvio Lemgruber, Roberta Cid and Montesserat Payrot.

Chloe Arnold

CHLOE ARNOLD. Emmy Nominated Choreographer, and International tap star Chloé Arnold was discovered at a young age in Washington, DC by the legendary Debbie Allen. Chloé has performed on stages around the globe and her choreography has been featured in over 50 episodes of The Late Late Show With James Corden, including the hit Crosswalk The Musical, Aladdin with Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott. Also on hit television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance, Good Morning America, HBO's Black Lady Sketch show, and national commercials/print campaigns for Special K, Macy’s,
GAP, Aldo/Refinery 29, and Cantu.
Chloé’s is the Artistic Director & Founder of Syncopated Ladies, an all-female Tap company that are widely known or viral videos that have accumulated over 50 million views. The most successful being their tribute to Prince and their cover of Beyoncé’s Formation, which Beyoncé shared on all of her social media and then hired Chloé and the Syncopated Ladies to perform at her Ivy Park active wear clothing line launch at TopShop, London. Chloé along with her company performed live on ABC's Good Morning America and have had sold-out concerts in Los Angeles, Dubai, New York City and Washington, DC, receiving rave reviews in The New York Times and more.

Cintia Martin

CINTIA MARTIN started her dance studies in 1978 and became a professional in 1987. Tap dance has since then become her focus and she took classes with the best teachers in Brazil and NYC. In 1996, with Cintia Chamecki was invited by Brenda Bufalino, director of American Tap Dance Orchestra, to dance a duo in “Gertrude’s Nose Tap Opera”. In 1999, she took a week long private residency with Brenda Bufalino in New Paltz, NY. She also participated of the 1 st edition of Tap City (2001) in NYC, where, for many years, she has been performing in jam sessions and master classes.
In Brazil, she joined the Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado, first as a dancer during the 1980s and 1990s, then as choreographer (2001). In 1997, she released a handbook called “Toques”, subsequently published as a book in 2010. In 1998, launched the “TapWeb Cintia Martin”, a website dedicated to her experiences with tap. In 2000, she created the Companhia Claquettes, her own tap dance company. Specialized in improvisation with live music, Cintia maintains a solid career of shows, solo performances and as master teacher and jury member in important festival around Brazil, such as Tap In Rio and the Festival de Joinville.

Derick Jacinto

DERICK JACINTO graduated in Audiovisual Production and began his dance studies 21 years ago in Campinas, SP. He is also a teacher and choreographer, conducting workshops in some of the most relevant tap dance festivals of Brazil and South America. He was a member of TapNewGeneration for 3 years and coaches teachers and tap dancers interested in advancing and developing the technique of tap dance. In 2017 and 2018 he taught classes in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He won the competitions of the Joinville Dance Festival - three times as soloist and four times as best group – and has been nominated for the Best Dancer Award (2012) and Best Group Award (2016).
As director and choreographer of the Tinkle Group (São Paulo) since 2012, he recently created the show "Ciclo". He also choreographed the new show of the Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado (Rio de Janeiro).

Dudu Martinz

DUDU MARTINZ began his studies in 1998 at the Ballet Quartier Latin in Santo André, SP. Teacher and choreographer since 2005, he is director, teacher, choreographer and tap dancer of the Grupo TAPZ, as well as a teacher at Casa de Artes Operária and PEC Studio. In 2019 he had the opportunity to teach his first international class at the Basement Studio, in Paris.
Tap in Rio 2018 Challenge winner and guest tap dancer at the Brazil International Tap Festival Gala Night from 2015 to 2017, Dudu is creator and director of the SampaTapz Festival in SP, also he taught in the Copasetic Festival in Rio de Janeiro (2018), WorkTap in Marília (2018) and Sapateia Recife 2019. With a scholarship at the Paris Tap Festival 2019 by the Tap in Rio Festival, he won the Cutting Contest of the Festival, being awarded a scholarship for Roxane Butterfly's Paris Tap Intensive.
He joined the cast of Steven Harper's "Canibal", resulting from the Work in Progress Residency of the Joinville Dance Festival, and was a cast member of the musical "Crazy for You" alongside Claudia Raia and Jarbas Homem de Mello.
On TV, he tapped in the shows Domingão do Faustão, Programa do Jô, Lazinho com Você from Rede Globo, Programa Silvio Santos from SBT, Hora do Faro from Rede Record and Santa Receita from TV Aparecida.

Erica Belo

ERICA BELO, a dance professional for 27 years, has a background in classical ballet, jazz and tap dance. She also took classes with renowned professionals in Brazil and schools such as Broadway Dance Center and Steps On Broadway. She danced with the Cia de Ballet do RJ and the Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado.
She won awards in various festivals inside and outside the carioca circuit, as dancer, teacher and choreographer. She worked at Escola de Dança Marta Bastos, teaching and coordinating an independent jazz dance group. She is an active member of the Rio de Janeiro Dancers Union, as jury member and teacher in the Professional Improvement Course. She has been a member of Tap in Rio's teaching staff since 2011 and was part of the group of Brazilians invited to the DC Tap Fest 2018 Gala Night. She currently teaches tap dance at Studio Arte e Dança Betina Guelmann, participates as juror in competitive festivals, is invited to minister workshops in different schools in Brazil and takes part in independent independent works.

Flavia Costa

FLAVIA COSTA is graduated in Dance from the Angel Vianna College (2011) and currently teaches at the Escola Creche Curiosa Idade and Liceu Molière, in Rio de Janeiro. She has vast experience in the field of performing arts, with an emphasis on dance, which enables her to act mainly on topics related to dance, early childhood education, tap dancing and technology. From 2003 to 2012 she worked with the innovative circus carioca company Intrépida Trupe, taking part in events, tours and theatre runs.
She received a grant in 2015, through the Programa de Fomento a Cultura (cultural promotion program) of the City of Rio de Janeiro, for the show "As Quadro texturas", which she directed and performed in, as well as for the education workshop "Affetos Sonoros". In 2017, he began the work in progress Synergia's at the Rio de Janeiro Choreographic Center through the Artistic Residency project. A juror and teacher at the Joinville Dance Festival since 2017, Flavia is one of the founders of the Sonoros Festival, which had its first edition in 2019.

Gabriela Dias

GABRIELA DIAS is a teacher, choreographer and dancer, with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education from UFRJ. She studied at the Cristina Cará School in São José dos Campos, SP, as of 1997, where she graduated from in 2002. She continued her specialization until 2006 with mentor Samanta Varela. A professional dancer through the Dancers Union of Rio de Janeiro since 2012, she was assistant choreographer to Patricia Taranto in the musical "Meu amigo Bobby" of OBS in 2013. She is assistant choreographer and director of the Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado, directed by Stella Antunes, and was part of the cast of the show "OBS MIX" (2016) and executive production assistant of the OBS documentary (2017). She is in the cast of "Homo Tapiens", a new OBS show scheduled to debut in 2020. Winner of the "Superando Feminino 2016" competition of the Encontro dos Ritmos festival, she participates in several dance festivals as a choreographer and dancer and teaches courses throughout Brazil, such as Tap In Rio and Encontro dos Ritmos. She is currently a teacher at La Danse Art e Cia, at the Dance Center/British School, both in the city of Rio de Janeiro and is part of the production of TapWorkshop RJ.

Geraldo Junior

GERALDO JUNIOR is a professional dancer and tap dancer. He began his dance studies in 2001 and was a member, teacher, director and choreographer for the professional tap company of the city of Araraquara, Cia. Shuffle Trips, with which he performed throughout Brazil with the four shows they created along the years.
Winning of the Tap in Rio 2009 Challenge contest, he began his career by participating in tap dance festivals, including major national and international events, such as Tap in Rio (Rio de Janeiro), Encontro dos Ritmos (São Jose dos Campos), Bojangles Tap Party (Argentina) and others.
In 2019 he was awarded choreographies at the Passo de Arte and Ballace festival, being nominated for best choreographer and group of the event. He was selected to be part of the cast of Work in Progress residency of the Joinville Dance Festival in 2019.
He currently owns the Aflora dance studio, with locations in Araraquara and São Carlos (SP) and director and dancer of the Tap New Generation group.

Gisele Silva

GISELE SILVA is a renowned professional dancer, teacher and choreographer from Brazil. Currently a member of Syncopated Ladies, directed by Emmy Award nominee Chloe Arnold, with whom she will be on tour in 2020/2021.
In the US, she appeared at the Essence Fest in New Orleans, BET Experience, RuPaul Talk Show, Woman in the World at Lincoln Center - NY, Icons of Dance Celebration at the Apollo Theater honoring Ms. Debbie Allen.
Gisele is a ballet graduate and member at the Dance Professionals Union of the State of São Paulo. As a dancer, she was part of the Grande Circo Popular do Brasil, Ribeirão Preto Dance Company and Cia Pé na Tabua, besides performing at the Rock in Rio music festival.
In addition to her solo career, she performed at the Rhythm Motion show in NY, worked on Schoolboy Q and Travis Scott's music video Chopstix, and working with DanceOn Youtube on The Jones Project.
She is the ambassador for So Dança North America. From Nov 2019 to Jan 2020 Gisele will be at “Viva Navidad” Disney’s seasonal celebrations of Latina Culture at Disneyland, CA.

Giuliano Antônio

GIULIANO ANTÔNIO is a professional tap dancer from Araguari, Brazil. A student at Studio A and part of the Adote um Artista project, he came forth at the age of 15 as one of the most promising tap dancers of the new generation in Brazil. Winner of the 2011 Tap in Rio Challenge, in Rio de Janeiro, and of 2015 Best Dancer Award at the Dançaraxá Festival, he has since traveled throughout Brazil, the United States and Argentina teaching and performing as a guest artist.
He currently resides in Washington-DC. In 2018-2019 he was part of Sole Defined, a company blending tap, stepping, percussive dancing and music.
He graduated in Advertising from Esamc Uberlândia College in 2017, and operates in the market providing marketing consultancies and design services for artists, dance festivals and schools. As Director of Giuliano Antônio Marketing C°. he holds successful cases in marketing in his portfolio, both in Brazil and in the United States, such as Tap in Rio, Encontro dos Ritmos, Chloe and Maud Arnold Productions and DC Tap Fest.

João Carlos Ramos

JOÃO CARLOS RAMOS, born and raised in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, he began his artistic career in the 1980s with the Coringa Dance Group, directed by choreographer Graciela Figueroa. In 1985, he founded the Cia Aérea de Dança, based at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Circo Voador, with which he created several shows, highlighting “Mistura e Manda” (1992), presented in Brazil, USA and Europe (France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland); “Gira” created for the “Year of Brazil in France” (2005); Gaffe (2014-2015), (...) NEXO (2016) and Terreiro de Gafieira (2017), presented in Brazil. He choreographed shows such as Fica comigo esta noite (1990), directed by Jorge Fernando; RNA (1990) and Ao Vento (2012), of the Intrepida Troupe; Vestido de Noiva (2012), directed by Caco Coelho; Brasil Brasileiro (2006), by the argentinian director Claudio Segovia; Ensaio sobre a beleza (2011), by Italian Valerio Festi; and the FIFA World Cup Closing Ceremony (2014). He also choreographed shows and music videos for musicians and singers Jorge Ben Jor, Lulu Santos, Fernanda Abreu, Zeca Pagodinho and Paulo Moura.

Josh Antonio

Juliana Garcia

JULIANA GARCIA is a tap dancer, teacher and choreographer, she has a degree in Pedagogy, Psychology, Masters in Psychology Education and works with tap dance since 1993. During these 25 years she received rewards in different festivals, such as Best Tap Dancer at the Dança Ribeirão contest in 2009, 1 st place in 2006 and 2 nd place in 2007 at the Joinville Dance Festival competition, etc. Juliana performed with the KS Cia. de Sapateado as a dancer and choreographer. In the US she had the opportunity to participate in Tap City, Soul to Sole, Chicago Human Rhythm Project and LA Tap Festival. In 2010 she danced with Chicago Tap Theatre and MADD Rhythms. Nowadays she has been working as a jury member and teacher in the Passo de Arte Competition, Jacareí Dance Festival, Encontro dos Ritmos, Festidança and others events. She also teaches tap in dance schools in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.

Keith Terry

KEITH TERRY is a percussionist/rhythm-dancer/educator whose artistic vision has straddled the line between music and dance for more than four decades. He performed on important stages both as a soloist and with his groups – Slammin All-Body Band, Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble, Professor Terry’s Circus Band Extraordinaire, and Body Tjak. In addition, Keith has performed with artists such as Charles “Honi” Coles, Turtle Island Quartet, Jovino Santos Neto, Barbatuques, KeKeÇa, Kenny Endo, Freddie Hubbard, Tex Williams, Robin Williams, and Bobby McFerrin. He has released 6 CDs and 5 DVDs, plus the Book / DVD, "Rhythm of Math", a unit for teaching mathematical concepts using Body Music.
Keith tours extensively in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, where his performances and workshops are popular among professional performers and educators. From 1998 to 2005 Keith was on the faculty at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures. He is the founding Artistic Director of the International Body Music Festival (IBMF), an event exploring body music from culture to culture, produced so far in the US, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, and France. Keith is a 2008 Guggenheim Fellow, as well as the Founding Director of Crosspulse, an Oakland, California–based, non-profit organization dedicated to rhythm-based intercultural music and dance, since 1978.

Kim Pereira

KIM PEREIRA began his studies in 1987 in Rio de Janeiro and completed them in the United States at the Percussion Institute of Technology, in Hollywood, CA. He recorded and performed with the artists Angela Rorô, Kelly Key, Rita Beneditto, Sidney Magal, Bebeto, Tony Plato, Leo Maia, Joao Sabia, Toledo Uletaka, Republican Orchestra, Sururu on the Wheel, Farofa Carioca, Zero, Ozomatli, Victor Biglione, Osmar Milito, Sidney Linhares, Marcos Amorim, Chico Batera and Davy Mooney. He also played in the orchestras/bands for the musicals Cabaret Brazil, Broadway in Café, Peep show, Weill Cabaret, Gafieira Statutes, Tim Maia, Jim Morrison, Wilson Simonal, Sambra, Concert Show and Simone Bossa Nova. He has taught at the Cigam and In Cocert and Musiarte music schools. He currently teaches at Maracatu Brasil in Rio de Janeiro. Kim is sponsored by RMV Drums, Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals, Power Click, Vector, Mr Mix and Luminote.

Leo Sandoval

LEONARDO SANDOVAL is from Piracicaba, Brazil, and has become renowned for fostering the rhythms of Brazil in the USA, mixing them with the art of American tap dancing. Following the example of his mentors Heloaldo Castelo Silva, Christiane Matallo and Steven Harper, he contributed to the promotion of tap dancing to a wider audience, through presentations and appearances in TV programs such as Xuxa Park, Programa do Jô, and Q'Viva - The Chosen (Jennifer Lopez).
He currently lives in New York, where he is sought after as a solo performer, musician, and choreographer. His work has been performed in acclaimed venues such as Lincoln Center, Jacob's Pillow, National Folk Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival and The Yard. He received accolades including in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. In addition, he is a soloist with the acclaimed Dorrance Dance company, performing worldwide.
Leonardo is currently a resident artist at the American Tap Dance Foundation, the National Dance Institute, and the Lincoln Center Education.

Luciana Petsold

LUCIANA PETSOLD is a dancer and tap dancer graduated in Dance from the Tereza Petsold Academy, where she teaches, and a professional from the Dance Union of Rio de Janeiro (SPDRJ). She is a member of jury boards in festivals and for professional auditions of SPDRJ. She was a member of Cia Carioca de Sapateado, directed by Thiago Marcelino and Leonardo Sandoval. She Participated in numerous national and international tap dance festivals and won the Tap in Rio Soloists Challenge in 2013. She was selected and participated in projects such as: Jason Janas and Friends in Curitiba/PR, Encontro dos Ritmos, SP, (with choreographies by Michelle Dorrance), the musical show "Dercy de Verdade", choreographed by Kika Samapio and Caio nunes, among others. She has taught tap dance workshops in major schools or festivals throughout Brazil, and is currently a guest choreographer for the new show of the Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado, scheduled for 2020.
Luciana is a member and one of the directors/choreographers of Tap New Generation, a group of Brazilian dancers from several states of Brazil. She is also partner/director of the Tereza Petsold Academy in Nova Iguaçu/RJ and member of the artistic commission of SPD-RJ.

Marcela Castilho

MARCELA CASTILHO is from Rio de Janeiro. She began her studies in dance at the age of 5 at the Corpus Academy in ballet, jazz and tap dance, and taking part in several festivals. In 2002-2003 she worked as a dancer at Ringling Bross and Barnum and Bailey in the USA, and did several workshops in cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, etc. In 2007, she graduated from the Dance College of UniverCidade and did a Post-Graduation in Psychomotricity at Castelo Branco University. She is often a jury-member for the Rio de Janeiro Dancers Union auditions. Marcela teaches tap dance courses for teachers at CAP, WCODA and other venues. She is currently a teacher and director of the CODA Dance School in Rio de Janeiro.

Mark Lambert

MARK LAMBERT, an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and arranger who lives in Brazil. During the 90s, he was musical director for the singer Astrud Gilberto, one of the biggest icons of Bossa Nova abroad. Between 2001 and 2009, he performed in the band of Ute Lemper, a German cult singer based in NY. Other collaborations on stage and in the studio, include Ivan Lins, Michael Brecker, Bebel Gilberto, Renaissance, Eliane Elias, Milton Nascimento, Chris Potter, Meatloaf, Bob Mintzer, Erasmo Carlos, Toninho Horta, Zé da Velha & Silverio Pontes. He has orchestrated and conducted for chamber orchestras in Brasil, the USA and Europe. He leads the mini big-band, Mark Lambert & Orquestra Radio Swing. He released several CDs including ‘UNDER MY SKIN’ which features his jazz vocals. He wrote two arrangements for the newly released CD, 'NORD'; by the singer, composer and percussionist from Pernambucano, Jam da Silva. He recently concluded a tour of Europe, UK and Israel with Renaissance and also did a two week run at Rock in Rio USA in Las Vegas with his big band, Stone the Beetles.

Maud Arnold

MAUD ARNOLD is a member of Syncopated Ladies and has performed in Los Angeles, NYC, DC and Dubai. Maud has appeared on ABC's Good Morning America and at Essence Fest in New Orleans after their video covering Beyoncé’s Formation, went viral. Beyoncé shared the video on all of her social media and then hired the Syncopated Ladies to perform at her Ivy Park active wear clothing line launch at TopShop, London.
Maud has quickly become a sought after teacher, judge and performer worldwide. Mentored and trained by Debbie Allen, Maud has taught at Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles and Allen’s Dance Institute in Texas. Further to teaching in the USA, Maud has taught tap dancing and Afro-Funk in Dubai, Brazil, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia.
Maud’s Television Credits Include: The Late Late Show With James Corden, Syncopated Ladies winning Season 11 of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance: Dance Crew Battle, she also can be seen in national commercials and has worked with Beyoncé on several commercials and music videos.
Maud Arnold is also co-director and producer of the acclaimed DC Tap Festival in Washington.

Melissa Tannús

Michelle Dorrance

MICHELLE DORRANCE, founder and artistic director of Dorrance Dance, is one of the most sought after tap dancers of her generation and “one of the most imaginative tap choreographers working today” (The New Yorker). A 2015 MacArthur Fellow, 2014 Alpert Award Winner, and 2013 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award Winner, Michelle performs, teaches and choreographs throughout the world.
Mentored by Gene Medler, Michelle grew up performing with the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble and has since performed with: STOMP, Savion Glover’s ti dii, Manhattan Tap, Barbara Duffy & Co, JazzTap Ensemble, Harold Cromer’s original Opus One and Jason Samuels Smith’s Charlie’s Angels/Chasing the Bird. Michelle’s choreography has been featured on stages throughout the world as well as in a high-fashion short film for Tabitha Simmons’ 2011 Fall line.
Michelle embodies a true passion for teaching and strives to share this passion wherever she goes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from NYU, played bass for Darwin Deez, teaches on faculty at Broadway Dance Center, is a Capezio Athlete and has been featured on the covers of Dance Magazine and Dance Teacher Magazine.

Panmela Tadeu

PANMELA TADEU began her dance studies at Uai Q Dança, Uberlândia, MG, in 2000. She started teaching and choreographing tap and hip hop in 2006. She has since been building her professional identity as a dance artist. She believes that Uai Q Dança is today an important artistic and cultural hub in the city of Uberlândia and works hard to make this happen through her work as a coordinator of the school and the different projects she develops. In addition, in 2008, she began her researching and experimenting with contemporary dance. She graduated in Philosophy from the Federal University of Uberlândia and holds and a master's degree from the same institution. She recently released the book "A dança contemporânea em Uberlândia (1980-2001): um cenário inicial" (Contemporary Dance in Uberlândia: an initial scenario) through the Municipal Program for the Encouragement of Culture in the city where she lives. Panmela ais also one of the directors of the tap dance collective Tap New Generation and she travels extensively to share her love for the art of tap dance.

Patrícia Carillo

PATRÍCIA CARILLO is a teacher and choreographer, graduated in physical education by the UniverCidade do Rio de Janeiro. She was recently certified in the third level by the Tap Teacher Training of the American Tap Dancing Foundation in New York, becoming the first Brazilian tap dancer to complete the three levels of this formation. Director and teacher of the Academia do Tap, Patrícia also teaches at the Centro de Estudos e Formação em Teatro Musical (CEFTEM), and she has integrated several companies such as Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado (OBS), Só de Sapato Produções, Cia Claquetes and Grupo Talhe. She is currently a member of the Tap Dance Artistic Commission of the Union of Dance Professionals of the State of Rio de Janeiro, besides acting as jury and teacher in several tap dance festivals in Brazil.

Patricia Taranto

PATRICIA TARANTO is a tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer, graduated in dance from the Faculdade da Cidade (RJ), with specialization in the School of Dance Education / Performing Arts International-New York University (NY). As a scholarship student at Steps on Broadway (NY), she studied with big names in tap and dance in general. She was part of the Orquestra Brasileira de Sapateado, as a tap dancer/actress, choreographer and teacher. She choreographed the musical "O Passarinho e a Borboleta" and "Meu Amigo Bobby". She was part of the dance cast and choreographed several TV shows from Rede Globo, among them “Gente Inocente”, “Hoje é Dia de Maria”, "TV Xuxa" (2007) and the show “Pé na Cova” (2013). With several choreographic works awarded in dance festivals in Brazil, including 1st place at the Joinville Dance Festival, Patricia direct the La Danse Art & Cia Dance School and teaches tap dance in workshals, notably Tap in Rio (RJ), Encontro dos Ritmos (SJC), Floripa Tap (SC), Copasetic (RJ) and Sonoros (RJ), among others. Currently, she also produces dance events and workshops and is part of the Tap Dance Artistic Commission of the RJ Dance Professionals Union (SPDRJ).

Pedro Paulo Bravo

PEDRO PAULO BRAVO had as mentor eminent personalities of the dance world, such as Adriana Salomão, Brenda Bufalino, Chloe Arnold, Heather Cornell, Sarah Reich, Jason Samuels Smith, Steven Harper, among others.
Bravo performed in important TV programs and festival, like Danzamérica, in Argentina, Festival de Dança de Joinville (winner of the Tap Dance Solo category); Tap City (NY), besides take classes at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center and at the American Tap Dance Foundation, in the USA.
He teaches in Brazilian dance festivals as Tap in Rio, Encontro dos Ritmos, Tap Day and Sapateia Brasilia. Currently, he created and directs the Copasetic Festival, teaches regular classes at Company Dance Center and Studio Giselle in São Paulo, as well as workshops in Brazil and Latin America.
Pedro was in the cast of the Brazilian versions of the musicals Singing in The Rain and The Producers; performed in the first Brazilian concert of musicals, directed by maestro Marconi Araújo; and, was part of the ensemble in singer Sarah Brightman World Tour “Hymn”, in 2018.

Roxy King

ROXY KING is a tap dancer, teacher, student, and tap company director based in Washington D.C. Roxy received her dance training primarily at the Metropolitan School of the Arts, where she also also teaches tap classes. She is currently the Artistic Director of DynaMYTE, the junior company of Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble (MYTE). As a member of MYTE she had the opportunity to travel the country taking classes and performing at tap festivals. Roxy has taught in Brazil at Tap In Rio, and The Tap Show festival, as well as workshops in many cities. In the States she has taught master classes at festivals such as Riff in Dallas Texas, and at the D.C Tap Festival. Two years ago Roxy had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2017 Jacob's Pillow Tap Program run by Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, along with 24 other participants. Most recently Roxy appeared as a flash mob dancer on Season 1 of A Black Lady Sketch Show on HBO.

Sidnei Lemes

SIDNEI LEMES specializes in American tap and Irish dance.

He began his studies at the age of six at Sheila's Ballet Academy where he studied several styles of dance. He won scholarships for national and international festivals such as DC Tap Festival (Washington DC), Tap in Rio (Rio de Janeiro) and Brazil International Tap Festival (São Paulo). He had the opportunity to improve himself with important names of tap dance such as Jason Samuels-Smith, Chloe Arnold, Maud Arnold, Michelle Dorrance, Steven Harper, Adriana Salomão, Ana Carolina Tomioshi, etc.

Sydney has participated three times in the Youth American Grand Prix (YAPG, New York), where he has won several awards, and attended the Joinville Dance Festival since the age of 10, where he won some twenty awards.

He is currently a member of the group Tap New Generation, which brings together young tap dancers from various parts of Brazil. He is a teacher and choreographer at Sheila's Ballet Academy.

Samanta Varela

SAMANTA VARELA, tap dancer, choreographer, artistic director of the Centro de Artes DanSoul in São José dos Campos-SP, creator and director of Encontro dos Ritmos since 2011. From 1996 to 2018, she worked as tap dance director for the Cristina Cará Academy. As a dancer, she has performed on major stages around the world, such as Peter Norton Symphony Space on Broadway (NYC), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Municipal Theater of São Paulo. From 2008 to 2010 she was part of the "KS" tap dancing group, directed by Kika Sampaio. She was nominated for Revelation Choreographer at the Joinville Dance Festival in 2006, and won Outstanding Choreographer Award in 2005 and 2007, at the Festidança. She did choreographic work for several groups throughout Brazil, including Katados por Aí and Projeto F.A.M.A. from Minas Gerais. As a teacher, she has already trained several generations of tap dancers and teaches the Art of Teaching course, aimed at tap dance teachers. She is always updating and in July 2019 received the Certificate (Level 1) of the Tap Teacher Training Program of the American Tap Dance Foundation (ATDF), held in New York.

Steven Harper

STEVEN HARPER is a tap dancer, teacher, choreographer and producer. An American citizen who grew up in Europe, he lived in Rio de Janeiro for almost 30 years, where he became a major driving force behind the local tap dance scene. He relocated in France recently. His style is the result of his cosmopolite background and of his professional experience in several fields of dance and percussion. He dedicates himself to the advancement of tap dance and the discovery of new horizons for this fascinating art form.
Much in demand internationally, Steven participated in festivals or taught workshops in a dozen countries of four continents. He regularly performs with top musicians and organizes, since 2002, the Tap in Rio festival. His 35+ years career expands from the field of dance into those of music, circus, theater, musical-theatre, film, television and carnival.